Former Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow said he is ‘truly bowled over’ by the outpouring of support since revealing his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in the Daily Mail.
The 78-year-old journalist is now urging the Government to reform its treatment, support and care for those living with the condition, as well as their families.
The veteran broadcaster and his wife, Dr Precious Lunga, told last week how he has been living with Alzheimer’s – the most common form of dementia – since 2023.
He has since been inundated with messages from fans, as well as his long-time colleague Kirsty Lang, singer Annie Lennox and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer – who hailed Mr Snow as a ‘true giant in journalism’.
Reflecting on the influx of well-wishes, Mr Snow said: ‘I’m truly bowled over by the outpouring of support and affection since revealing my dementia diagnosis.’
The Daily Mail and Alzheimer’s Society have partnered in a drive to beat dementia, which claims 76,000 lives each year and is the UK’s biggest killer.
The Defeating Dementia campaign aims to raise awareness of the disease, in an effort to increase early diagnosis, boost research and improve care.
The charity said visits to its website had surged following Mr Snow’s revelation, including a more than doubling in the number of people accessing its symptom checker.
The veteran broadcaster and his wife, Dr Precious Lunga, told last week how he has been living with Alzheimer’s – the most common form of dementia – since 2023.
Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you make a note of your symptoms before you talk to your GP.
On this, the veteran news anchor said: ‘As a journalist, you never expect to become the story, but it’s heartening to know that sharing my experience has contributed to a surge in visits to Alzheimer’s Society’s website, with people seeking information, support and ways to get involved in the fight against dementia.
‘Receiving a dementia diagnosis can turn your world upside down, but I really do believe it’s better to know.’
Calling for reform of dementia care, he added: ‘Too many people are experiencing delays in diagnosis – on average 3.5 years – meaning they’re left in limbo without the help they need.
‘An early diagnosis can open the door to treatment, support, care and the chance to take part in research that could change the future.
‘People living with dementia and their families have waited long enough for change. We must demand better for everyone affected.
‘I would urge everyone to join me in signing Alzheimer’s Society’s open letter calling on Government to deliver a bold and ambitious plan for dementia.’
Michelle Dyson, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘Jon and his wife Precious experienced first-hand the importance of an early and accurate diagnosis, and now they’re supporting our call to the Government for a bold and ambitious plan for dementia.
‘For too long, people living with dementia, and their families and carers, have not been prioritised.
Reflecting on the influx of well-wishes, Mr Snow said: ‘I’m truly bowled over by the outpouring of support and affection since revealing my dementia diagnosis.’
‘Diagnosis takes too long if it comes at all, there is minimal specialist support and the most transformative treatments remain out of reach for NHS patients.
‘We wouldn’t accept this injustice for cancer and we must demand better for people living with dementia.’
Mr Snow previously revealed that he was part of a clinical trial for the condition and has often spoken about how his mother, Joan, struggled with Alzheimer’s in the years leading up to her death.
He also told the Daily Mail that, prior to his diagnosis, he was reluctant to see a doctor and insisted there was nothing wrong, and that he still questions whether he has the condition as he does not ‘feel disabled in any way’.
Mr Snow is famed for his decades-long career as a journalist and TV presenter and known for being the longest-running face of Channel 4 News, which he anchored from 1989 to 2021.
His new documentary – Jon Snow: A Last Big Story – will see him navigate life with Alzheimer’s as he undergoes an investigation into a Zambian community whose land and water were impacted by a mining disaster.
It will air on Channel 4 at 8pm on June 20.
